The more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood which he cannot find in his country of origin. Public authorities should see to it that the natural right is respected that places a guest under the protection of those who receive him. Political authorities, for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible, may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions, especially with regard to the immigrants' duties toward their country of adoption. Immigrants are obliged to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws and to assist in carrying civic burdens.
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2241
February 5, 2025
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The issue of immigration policy and enforcement is both complicated and emotional. While we agree that there is room for disagreement and discussion with respect to immigration policy, we wish to remind our more than one million Catholic faithful in North Carolina of the stated positions of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, formed by Catholic social teaching, and encourage personal reflection and formation on these issues.
The issue of immigration is not merely about policy, it is a moral concern impacting the human dignity and human rights of every person. We recognize there are persons residing in the United States without legal documentation and we do not condone violating the law. We respect our borders and laws AND support immigration policy reforms and care for those who are already here, many already contributing members of our society for years. We do not see these ends as mutually exclusive. Every day we see firsthand the consequences of a system that creates fear and anxiety among individuals who make substantial contributions to the economic and social fabric of our communities. Immigrants are a vital part of our Catholic parishes who both receive and administer the sacraments of our faith.
As Catholics, we advocate for the recognition that immigrants, as members of God’s human family, are deserving of and must be granted the appropriate dignity as our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Jesus Himself was a refugee and taught us to welcome the stranger and to realize that in welcoming the stranger, we are welcoming Christ Himself.
Our Catholic Charities offices stand ready to help with food and other household necessities for all families that find themselves in distress at this time. Through those offices we will continue to provide Legal Immigration Services via staff who have been accredited to complete legal documentation by the Board of Immigration Appeals in the U.S. Department of Justice. These DOJ Accredited Representatives assist families and individuals in achieving an immigration status that enables them to work, reunite with family members, or take steps toward becoming citizens who could contribute to the well-being of their family and society. We will not counsel anyone to thwart or resist proper law enforcement but will continue to provide education about individuals’ legal rights.
On a broader level, we, the ordinary Bishops of North Carolina, and the Bishops of the United States. will continue working to find lasting solutions to our immigration system based on principles of Catholic social teaching, namely:
- People have the right to migrate to sustain their lives and the lives of their families. Before God all are equal; the earth was given by God to all. When a person cannot achieve a meaningful life in his or her own land, that person has the right to move.
- A country has the right to regulate its borders and to control immigration. Catholics should not view the work of the federal government and its immigration control as negative or evil. Those who work to enforce our nation's immigration laws often do so out of a sense of loyalty to the common good and compassion for poor people seeking a better life. In an ideal world, there would be no need for immigration control. The Church recognizes that this ideal world has not yet been achieved.
- A country must regulate its borders with justice and mercy. Immigration policy that allows people to live here and contribute to society for years but refuses to offer them the opportunity to achieve legal status perpetuates a permanent underclass and does not serve the common good. It is the position of the Catholic Church that pastoral, educational, medical and social services provided by the Church are never conditioned on legal status. All persons are invited to participate in our parishes, attend our schools, and receive other services offered by our institutions and programs.
- Humanitarian protections for vulnerable families should be a priority. Catholic teaching maintains that families are the foundation of society, and the success of any civilization hinges on the well-being of its families. For generations, families living in the United States have included combinations of citizens and noncitizens. We urge the preservation and strengthening of access to asylum, refugee resettlement, protections for unaccompanied children, assistance for victims of human trafficking, temporary forms of relief, and other humanitarian protections already enshrined in our law.
As members of the human family, each individual deserves and must be granted the dignity that not only supports and fosters the common good of our society but also reflects the reality that we are all fundamentally brothers and sisters in the Lord.
Mary, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, Patroness of the United States of America, watch over and pray for us now and always.
Most Reverend Michael T. Martin, OFM Conv.
Bishop of Charlotte
Most Reverend Luis Rafael Zarama
Bishop of Raleigh
DOWNLOAD STATEMENT (PDF
26 comments:
Jesus was not a refugee. Egypt and Judea were both part of the Roman Empire. I stopped reading the statement as soon as I came across this line. It was a good statement until the bishops showed their Marxist hand.
And Jesus’ parents followed the law. They went to their family town of Bethlehem to be counted in the census. When the bishops wear sack clothe and ashes for their role in human trafficking I might take them seriously. I wish they were intellectually honest about immigration laws of other first world countries but that would be too much to expect of them.
The DOJ just sued Illinois and Chicago for obstructing ICE and is now withholding federal $$. More effective action would be for the Marines to arrest Gov Blob Pritzker, throw him in the slammer, roll the cameras and have President Trump interview him! Comedy Gold!
Father McDonald, thank you for having promoted the beautiful, uplifting, "prophetic message" (your wonderful words) in question that Most Reverend Michael T. Martin, OFM Conv., as well as Most Reverend Luis Rafael Zarama, have issued.
I hear the meek, peaceful, holy voice of Our Savior Jesus Christ via the prophetic message that the bishops of North Carolina have issued.
I also hear via that message such holy Popes as Francis, Benedict XVI, Saint John Paul II...Venerable Pius XII... in regard to their unwavering defense of immigrants/refugees.
Pope Venerable Pius XII declared, for example:
"The émigré Holy Family of Nazareth, fleeing into Egypt, is the archetype of every refugee family. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, living in exile in Egypt to escape the fury of an evil king, are, for all times and all places, the models and protectors of every migrant, alien and refugee of whatever kind who, whether compelled by fear of persecution or by want, is forced to leave his native land, his beloved parents and relatives, his close friends, and to seek a foreign soil."
=======
In regard to the topic at hand: Did Vice President Vance, as well as Tom Homan, believe that they could bully our holy Pope, as well as bishops, into silence? Well, in charitable, yet powerful spiritual fashion, our Churchmen have responded to that attempt.
=======
"And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ "
=======
I pray that President Trump will embrace the holy, peaceful, "prophetic message" that the bishops of North Carolina have issued.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
Mark Thomas,
The biggest bully I know is Pope Francis who is cruelest to Faithful Catholics while catering to apostates and perverts. He is also a hypocrite when it comes to illegal aliens. They can’t remain at the Vatican permanently nor has he donated any money that would create jobs in their native lands. It is like the Pharisees: Do as I say, not as I do!
You still haven’t told us how many illegal aliens you are supporting.
Perhaps a good statement by the bishops. Yet the new bishop of Charlotte looks to destroy 'the reform of the reform' of the Novus Ordo Mass.
https://x.com/Sensus_Fidelium/status/1887195762968179025?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1887195762968179025%7Ctwgr%5E911b8406eac1ecc51c4151a770c03e4a1396cb36%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwdtprs.com%2F
Mark, what makes them 'holy'? Our church hierarchy seems to have little of that these days.
Via a recent message to President Trump, Pope Francis declared:
"...I offer cordial greetings and the assurance of my prayers that Almighty God will grant you wisdom, strength and protection in the exercise of your high duties."
I have made that prayer my own.
President Trump desires to "Make America Great Again." He has also declared on several occasions his respect for Holy Mother Church. In line with said respect, as well as his desire to MAGA, President Trump would do well to promote Church teaching.
For example, in regard to the immigration issue, President Trump would do well to embrace/promote Church teaching.
During recent days, our bishops in Georgia, for example, in communion with His Holiness, Pope Francis, have promoted Church teaching in regard to the immigration issue.
Prior to that, as noted by our bishops in Georgia, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, President of the USCCB, as well as Bishop Mark J. Seitz, Chair of the USCCB Committee on Migration, expressed "concern regarding the negative consequences recent executive orders will have on the most vulnerable among us, including immigrants."
Now, our bishops in North Carolina have, as Father McDonald expressed in wonderful fashion, issued a "prophetic message" inn regard to the immigration issue.
May President Trump embrace/promote the above. It is all there should President Trump wish to enact a holy immigration policy.
May Vice President Vance, a self-described "devout" Catholic, embrace also the above. In regard to that, he would set a tremendous, courageous example, should he throw in with Holy Mother Church.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
After you are around here for a while, you will realize our resident papalator is not playing with a full deck
Drew looks like your bishop is a tyrant and clueless, i.e. the perfect Francis appointment
Drew,
Your name is new around here, I think. Welcome. To give a little more context, "holy holy holy" is one of MT's favored hypnotizing phrases (there are others), to keep up the Pollyannish dogma that the Church is currently led by good, let alone saintly, men.
Nick
Father McDonald:
Thank you for posting this as well!
Mark J.
The Gospels are confusing because they give apparently different accounts about the status of the Holy Family. Compare Matthew chapter 2 with Luke chapter 2. According to both Matthew and Luke, they went to Bethlehem (in Luke for the census), but according to Matthew they then fled to Egypt after an angel warned Joseph in a dream having not to return home, and only returned after Herod died (and even then, not to Judea but to Galilee after another warning in a dream).
But I am sure our resident priests can shed more light on the matter and, if needed, correct the above summary.
Mark J.
P.S. I am unsure how Judea and Egypt both being part of the Roman Empire has any bearing on the status of the Holy Family as refugees. They were different countries before the Romans conquered Judea in 63 B.C. (it became a Roman imperial province on 6 A.D.) and Egypt in 30 B.C. (it became a Roman imperial province in 27 B.C..). Presumably, they retained their separate identities and considerable autonomy although both were ultimately under Roman rule.
The USCCB footnote to Matthew 2:13 on the flight to Egypt states that “Egypt was a traditional place of refuge for those fleeing from danger in Palestine (see 1 Kgs 11:40; Jer 26:21), but the main reason why the child is to be taken to Egypt is that he may relive the Exodus experience of Israel.”
Mark J.
Well, TJM. He’s not my bishop, but such unfortunate news. I hope sanity returns and this liturgical chaos ends.
Mark J,
Not much has changed in Palestine!
Mark J - On my trip to Egypt last November I was able to visit the Church of Abu Serga, aka the Cavern Church, or the Church of the Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus. According to legend this was the site that the refugees Jesus, Mary, and Joseph used for shelter during their sojourn.
It's in a highly "interreligious area. Nearby is a Greek Orthodox Church, and Anglican church with a large cemetery, and the Ben Ezra synagogue. Sadly, the number of Jews in Cairo is 12. TWELVE. Although officially welcomed, they know it is not safe for them to love there. Very sad.
Not safe to love there! What has Egypt come to! Shocking and sad to say the least!
Drew said..."Mark, what makes them 'holy'? Our church hierarchy seems to have little of that these days."
Hello, Drew. Thank you for your response.
Drew, I have encountered throughout the years many holy Catholics, far holier than I, amongst the clergy, religious, as well as laity. Amongst the clergy, for example, I have been blessed for decades by the many holy priests and deacons I have encountered.
The Popes who have reigned throughout my lifetime have exuded holiness. I have been uplifted spiritually via the holiness that I have sensed among numerous Cardinals, bishops, as well as deacons.
There is chaff within the Church. I am ashamed that I have often belonged to that category. But there are plenty of holy Catholics — clergy included — within Holy Mother Church.
Drew, thank you. I pray that you and your family are blessed with peace and good health.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
Yet, the Democratic Party ignored and tolerated anti-Semitism on US college campuses! SuperTrump is fixing that, no need to thank him! Now don't go apoplectic but Netanyahu said President Trump is the best US President for Israel. I know it doesn't fit the looney media narrative that he is antisemitic!!! Continue to enjoy your fantasyland. By the way, that fancy trip you took could have paid for food and shelter for your illegal alien friends!! Oh uncaring of you!
Mark Thomas a Pope who attempts to suppress the TLM is the polar opposite of Holy
Fr. ALLAN McDonald - In 2011 the Arab Spring arrived in Egypt with Tahrir Square, which we visited, as it center point. The hope was that the military dictatorships that had controlled Egypt would be overcome and true democracy could take root.
Mubarak was forced to resign and the Muslim Brotherhood stepped in with Morsi being elected. He attempted to make the constitution more Islamic-leaning and encountered fierce opposition from the secularists and the military. Morsi was deposed in July 2013 and the current president. General el-Sisi, took power. Thus Egypt remains a military dictatorship.
Then, in 2022, Egypt devalued the Egyptian pound and it lost 60% of its value. Our guide told us that before that, an inexpensive car cost 300,000 Egyptian pounds, affordable to many of the lower economic status. Today, a "cheap" car is over 1 million Egyptian pounds. Those who were getting by before the devaluation are now in desperate poverty. Today one Egyptian pound is worth, literally, 2 cents.
TJM. Thank you for that addition to the conversation at hand. I look forward to many, many more of the same kind
K, I am looking out for your spiritual welfare. This Church is probably a better fit for you!
https://pjmedia.com/chris-queen/2025/02/07/progressive-christianity-watch-trans-lords-prayer-dei-babylon-and-whos-afraid-of-losing-federal-cash-n4936777#google_vignette
When people say, "By the way, that fancy trip you took could have paid for food and shelter..." they are exposing their ignorance. The "fancy" trip paid the salaries of numerous Egyptian bus drivers, the Egyptian armed guards who was with us on the busses, the Egyptian tour Guide who worked for Road Scholar, the Egyptians who worked in the numerous restaurants we ate in and hotels we stayed in, the Egyptians who worked in the museums and archeological sites we visited, the Coptic Orthodox monks to whom many of us gave a donation when we visited their monastery, the Egyptian shopkeepers from whom we bought trinkets and souvenirs, etc etc. Many of these Egyptian people support Egyptian families, so, to those who pretend their consciences are bothered by people taking "fancy" trips, I say, "Kick Rocks."
Fr. MJK,
Well put. My family took a similar trip (idk if it could be called "fancy," but let's not split hairs over that...) to the Holy Land some time back and it was put on by a touring company run by Palestinian Christians. They were very happy hosts--in no small part because tourism is one of their few reliable sources of income.
Nick
K, that's all you have in response? Seems like you got a lesson in economics from a Republican because I have heard many times in my lifetime from "liberal" Catholics who denounced parishes building big fancy churches saying the money should have gone to the poor! They of course overlooked all of the jobs those fancy churches gave suppliers, contractors, etc. I know you are in severe emotional stress over President Trump's re-election even though he is ending so many evils your Party practiced. Tough times!
Post a Comment